Most contemporary motor vehicles utilize numerous cover and trim panels to provide aesthetically appealing interior and exterior surfaces. Various fastening arrangements have heretofore been employed for securing cover and trim panels at various locations along the motor vehicle. Such panels are typically mounted to the vehicle substructure (e.g., metal frame or inner paneling), for example, through the use of locator pins and clips. The locator pins operate to properly position the cover panel along the vehicle frame, and the clips hold it in place.
Often times, the individual panels are fastened or attached to each other in addition to, or in lieu of, connecting directly to the vehicle substructure. Moreover, there are various vehicle components (also referred to as “general assembly trim components”) that are wholly supported by attachment to two or more panels, creating what may be referred to as a tripartite trim stackup. Not all general assembly trim components can be located by their fastener features alone. For example, a component may require precision locating due to its particular function or appearance. The use of prior art attachment fixtures may be undesirable because of ergonomics and mutilation issues, and may increase the cost of design and manufacture.
In the manufacture and assembly of the vehicle, some positional variation between the constituent parts is, to some extent, intrinsic. Such positional variation can be the result of such factors as individual component manufacturing tolerances, attachment features on the vehicle body for each individual component, fastener torque influences, thermal expansion or contraction, etc. An optimal attachment strategy will push variation stack-ups away from critical interfaces, preventing variation from impacting function or appearance. However, it is not always possible to isolate or eliminate positional variation when assembling trim components into the vehicle as a system, and, as a result, the variations can remain visible to the end customer.